Nambucca Heads Fire and Rescue was called around midnight to the corner of rainforest across the road from Woolworths.

A quick response from the six members of the fire crew saw the fire extinguished in an hour and the damage limited to just the top corner.

Captain Rob Couchman said that after "initial investigations it is believed the fire was deliberately lit by persons unknown".

There has already been online speculation that the fire was lit to 'smoke the bats out'.

Guardian News recently published a 'letter to the editor' which highlighted health concerns regarding the bats and another about the rainforest being a fire hazard.

The opinions expressed in that letter stoked a heated debate once again in the community.

Captain Couchman said he understands the bat problem from a community perspective, but there was no imminent fire hazard posed by the vegetation along the ridgeline near Gordon Park.

"Coastal rainforests are not prone to high-intensity fires," he said.

"And we have sufficient resources to respond efficiently, as was proven last night."

He wanted to urge the community to exercise caution when lighting fires.

"Lighting fires without a permit is illegal," he said.

If the firestarter's intention was to 'smoke the bats out', then they have failed spectacularly because the colony was in fine spirits this morning raucously singing the song of their people.

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